Jan 25, 2010
Avian flu flaring in Vietnam
H5N1 avian influenza has broken out in the Vietnamese provinces of Ha Tinh in the center of the country and Dien Bien on the northwest border, according to media reports confirmed by the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). In Ha Tinh, 200 birds died and 378 more were destroyed, and authorities imposed a local ban on the sale, slaughter and transport of poultry. In Dien Bien, 1,400 poultry were culled.
Jan 25 Saigon Daily report
Jan 24 OIE report
Indonesia relocates poultry slaughterhouses
To control the spread of H5N1 avian flu, the city government of South Jakarta, Indonesia, has ordered 90 chicken slaughterhouses to move from the prime residential district of Kebayoran Lama. The moves must be completed by late April 2010. According to the online service Viva News, potential locations include subdistricts elsewhere in South Jakarta as well as in the neighboring municipality of East Jakarta, including Rawa Kepiting, Pulogading, Cakung, Srengseng Raya and Petukangan Utara. The moves are part of a larger plan by local governments to control avian flu, which sickened 11 people in South Jakarta last year and 1 so far this year. Vehicles that transport poultry are being inspected and, last year, two markets that sell pet and exotic birds were relocated as well.
Jan 25 Viva News report
Canada's food-safety system lags other countries'
The Canadian Food Safety System has fallen behind ones operated by the United States, Australia and countries in the European Union, an analysis in the Canadian Medical Association Journal contends today. Surveillance is a patchwork of regional systems, and inspection standards vary by jurisdiction, according to the article. The Canadian government should revamp efforts so that data on foodborne pathogens can be used to make predictions about risks and decisions about which pathogens to prioritize, the journal said.
Jan 25 CMAJ article citation
